Introduction

In atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics, we tend to study the basic science of atoms and molecules.  This includes the science of individual atoms or molecules and also the science of their interactions. The term "optical" is found in this subfield of physics for one simple reason: generally, atoms and molecules are held together with electrical energies equal to or on the order of the energy found in a photon from a typical laser.  Thus we can use laser light to study atoms and molecules in a variety of manners.  These include:

The list goes on and on, but the above are some of the most prominent areas of current AMO physics.

Some scientists who study AMO physics actually have a chemistry background, but most of us have a traditional background in physics.  Researchers in AMO physics include theorists and experimentalists, and many of us have cross-disciplinary interests in chemical physics, electrical engineering, biology, laser physics, optics and astrophysics, to name a few.

Mr. Yukich's Interests

My primary research interests in physics are in the interactions of light with matter.  This is what intrigues me the most in the field of physics, and my curiosity first developed while I was studying physics as an undergraduate at Kenyon College.  Since that time I have narrowed the majority of my work to the subfield of AMO physics.  Atoms and molecules appeal to me because in many respects they are relatively simple to think about:  in many situations (the gaseous phase, for example), individual atoms and molecules are essentially non-interacting.  Thus, experiments may be conducted which allow us to study the nature of an individual atom - which is, after all, pedagogically the way atomic physics is usually taught!

My research interests include: